Page 105 of With Us

Niall brought out his phone. “I talked to Daly last night. Larson is in deep with the IRA, and I’m not talking about saving for retirement. Daly said he’s on good enough terms, paying large chunks of his loans back before borrowing again. It’s making some people happy, but more and more are starting to back away.”

“Why?” I asked, confused.

“‘Cause he’s totally feckin’ stone mad. Completely off his nut. He’s got more money than sense, and he’s bored. No matter how much shit he gets into, he gets restless fast and wants more. It’s made a lot of people nervous, so they aren’t doing business with him anymore.”

I could understand that. With his increased efforts, it wouldn’t be long before he drew attention to Amaric.

And attention was one thing I did not need.

“I got into his personal emails,” Luc said, giving an exaggerated shudder. “I’ll be expecting an extra big bonus after what I saw. Good news is, I got the address of his townhouse he rents under an alias. Last I looked, he’s supposed to be there tomorrow through Tuesday night.”

Leaning back in his chair, Gabe shook his head. “I don’t think he’s gonna scare away, even with a beat down. If anything, I think it’ll make him want it more. He’ll think of it like a hazing, you know?”

Caught off guard, I looked at Gabe. As an accountant, my cousin’s husband had a skill with numbers and calculating risks. The opposite of his wife, he was quiet and patient. Even in our meetings, it was much more likely for any beat down talk to come from Dale, while Gabe focused on the most effective and least risky option.

Based on Dale’s raised brows, he shared my surprise.

“I agree,” I said. “Up until last night, the plan was to pay him a visit while Luc and Gabe leaked some of those private emails. Take away the senator title, we take away his power.”

“And now?” Dale asked.

“He dies.”

It wasn’t a dramatic sentence. I didn’t take a pause, letting the anticipation grow. The room wasn’t filled with gasps and outrage, or hurriedly shouted protests. I stated my answer simply.

And, just as simply, the men nodded in agreement.

Senator Ethan Larson had already been warned. By bringing Dahlia into it, he’d put the gun to his own head. Hinting to her about what I did, however, had pulled the trigger.

As discussion and planning got underway, the disagreements started. Gabe wanted an ‘accidental’ house fire. Dale was in the mood for some torture and pain.

I took out my phone and texted Ben to pick up Dahlia.

We’re going to be here a while.

???

Sunday night

Fear.

I loved the look.

The wide eyes. Pale face.

The flop sweat that began to form.

I could do without the accompanying smell.

Especially when they pissed themselves. Or worse.

But meeting the eyes of a man who knew he was about to die was like getting a glimpse of their soul. Those seconds, before the annoying ranting, threats, or bargaining began, were my favorite part of the process.

And Larson was no different.

Better, maybe.

Because when he’d flipped his living room light on to find me sitting on his couch, there’d been fear. But there’d also been a rush. A hint of a smile. A tense anticipation.

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